Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Africa

Business Trends: Human reliability—a disruptive innovation

Small Hammer Inc.: Snider, B.

Annual bottom-line losses due to equipment failures total more than $100 MM at major refineries and petrochemical complexes. Corporate executives charge plant personnel with improving the reliability of the facility.

Editorial Comment: Maintenance—a value-added expense

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

This issue of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> tackles one of the most integral aspects of the downstream industry (or any industry, for that matter): maintenance and reliability. These two terms go hand-in-hand and help to ensure efficient and safe operations.

Installation of liquid sulfur degassing processes in existing SRUs

Jacobs Comprimo Sulfur Solutions: Van Grinsven, R.  |  Van Son, M.

Over the last 35 yr, more companies worldwide have installed liquid sulfur degassing processes in their sulfur recovery units (SRUs) to minimize the dangers of the release of hydrogen sulfide from the produced elemental sulfur.

A deeper examination of thermal expansion issues in process equipment and piping

Suncor Energy Inc.: Tharakan, J.

Piping and process equipment that operate at high temperatures experience thermal expansion. If free thermal expansion is restrained, mechanical stresses are created within the component.

Vitol, Helios complete acquisition of 100% of Vivo Energy

Further to the acquisition of Shell’s 20% shareholding in Vivo Energy by Vitol Africa B.V., Helios Investment Partners, acting on behalf of the funds to which it is advisor, and Vitol own 100% of Vivo Energy.

Honeywell awarded equipment contract for Dangote’s largest single-train refinery

DES PLAINES, Ill. – UOP LLC, a division of Honeywell International Inc. announced that it has won a contract from Dangote Oil Refinery Company Ltd. for critical equipment, technology licensing and design services for a world-scale integrated refinery and petrochemical plant. When completed, the integrated complex in Lekki, near the capital of Lagos in Nigeria, will be the largest single-train refinery in the world.

Nigeria's military destroys 13 illegal oil refineries

YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) -- Nigeria's military said on Thursday that it had destroyed 13 illegal refineries in the restive Niger Delta oil hub, in an operation in which two soldiers died in clashes with "sea robbers."

Nigeria pushes to legalize illicit refineries in restive Delta oil region

ABUJA (Reuters) -- Nigeria aims to legalize illicit oil refineries in the turbulent Niger Delta region, the vice-president's office said on Thursday, hoping to bring peace to the production heartland for the crude on which the country relies.

Alfa Laval awarded heat exchanger order for West African refinery

LUND, Sweden -- Alfa Laval has won an order to supply Alfa Laval Packinox heat exchangers to a refinery in West Africa. The order, booked in the Welded Heat Exchangers unit of the Energy Division late March, has a value of approximately SEK 55 million and delivery is scheduled for 2017 and 2018.

Nigeria oil tanker drivers to strike over low wages, poor roads

ONITSHA, Nigeria (Reuters) -- Nigerian oil tanker drivers will go on strike from April 3 over low wages and poor roads, said a labor union official on Sunday, threatening to choke off supply until their requests are met.